Some of the measures taken to stop the rats from making the car their home

From there they munched two inch holes through plastic grilles and arrived behind panels in the boot. After that they got stuck into the rear seat bolsters.

James said no one had ever even sat on the back seat of the car, which has just 24,000-kilometres on the clock.

James said the car, owned by Diane, 53, was kept “spotless”.

He said: “There was no rubbish in it and it was kept very clean.

“I can only think that rats sat under it for warmth and had a look around and saw they could get inside.”

He added: “It’s our sixth Mercedes in ten years, but we’ve never had a problem like this. I wouldn’t want my worst enemy to go through the stress and emotion of this.”

James claimed Mercedes at first said the incident was due to outside influence and therefore not covered by warranty.

However, it did offer him a five per cent discount on parts.

Retired civil servant James said: “That was an insult.”

The Co Down man added: “They say they pride themselves on customer service but that has proved to be nonsense so far.”

A Mercedes-Benz spokeswoman said: “This must be an unfortunate and upsetting situation for Mr Matchett and while we do offer an extremely comprehensive warranty, it doesn’t cover damage caused by external influences, such as wildlife.

“Unfortunately, our technical experts haven’t been given access to inspect the car so it’s difficult for us to comment further and our recommendation is that Mr Matchett contacts his insurance company.”